Working Holiday Agreement
Ireland has a Working Holiday Agreement with Chile, which allows 200 young Chileans annually to take extended holidays in Ireland for up to a year, and to take employment as an incidental aspect of this stay. The aim of the scheme is to allow young Chileans to work and study English or Irish; and to introduce them to the people, culture and landscape of Ireland. Participants will have one year from date of issue of the authorisation to enter Ireland.
There will be 200 places on the Programme (divided in two rounds of 100). The age limit for this year's process is 30 years old.
Each year, applications for the Working Holiday Programme are divided into two rounds of 100 applications each, spread across the two halves of the year. Specific dates will be announced in our news and events section and on the official Instagram account of the Embassy .
Telephone or in-person inquiries at the Embassy regarding this matter will not be answered.
Please read the Guidelines and FAQs
The working holiday permission may be issued to Chilean citizens who meet the following requirements at the time of submitting the application:
- They are Chilean citizens and holders of a valid Chilean passport;
- They are aged between 18 and 30, both inclusive;
- They are issued to Chilean citizens ordinarily residing in Chile. They may be asked to provide proof of residence by presenting one of the following documents: travel certificate from PDI, residential lease agreement, working contract, utility bill.
- They are not travelling accompanied by dependent family members, unless they have their own visa;
- They have no criminal records;
- They have sufficient funds for their maintenance during the initial period of their stay; have a return ticket to their home country or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket (€1,500 with ticket, €3,000 without). They may be asked to provide proof of funds upon entry to Ireland;
- They hold liability, medical and accident insurance, including hospitalization and repatriation for the duration of their stay;
- They pay the consular fees of the relevant visa.
In order to submit your application for a working holiday authorization, you should send only one email saying that you are interested in participating in the WHA Programme between 9 to 10 a.m. on the announced dates to the following mailbox: irishwhchile@vfsglobal.com
The 100 emails received in each process will be assigned an appointment to apply for the Working Holiday Programme – it is not permitted to nominate someone to attend the appointment on your behalf.
Applicants are reminded that, upon obtaining a Working Holiday Permission, they will be authorized to stay in Ireland for a maximum period of twelve (12) months, non-renewable. They may leave and re-enter Ireland and work, provided it is not a permanent job. They may also study or train during their stay.
Abusive messages or phone calls will be disqualifying.